Paris, 22 April 2015
DIGITAL CONTINUED TO DRIVE GROWTH IN Q1 2015
- Q1 20151 gross profit of €17.83 M, up 2.5% on a reported basis and 1.1% LFL2.
- Sharp growth in Digital: +15.0% LFL.
- Benelux: +2.4% LFL.
| (in €m) | 2015 | 2014 LFL | 2014 reported basis | 2015/2014 LFL change2 | 2015/2014 reported change |
| Q1 Gross profit1 | 17.83 | 17.64 | 17.40 | +1.1% | +2.5% |
1 Unaudited data.
2 Like for like: Based on a comparable scope and at constant exchange rates.
Didier Chabassieu, Chairman of the Management Board, commented: "The Group's first-quarter was in line with targets. Growth continues to be driven by the strength of Digital in France (+20.9% LFL) and a rebound in Benelux (+2.4% LFL)."
CONTINUED GROWTH IN Q1 2015 DRIVEN BY DIGITAL
HighCo's Q1 2015 gross profit came to €17.83 M, up 2.5% on a reported basis and 1.1% LFL, marking the eighth consecutive quarter of business growth. Digital grew 15.0% LFL this quarter, increasing its share in the sales mix from 32.4% in Q1 2014 to 35.4% in Q1 2015. Offline businesses were down 5.2% and represented 64.6% of the quarter's gross profit.
GROWTH IN FRANCE AND STEADY SALES FOR INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS WITH A REBOUND IN BENELUX
In France, gross profit rose 1.8% LFL to €10.78 M, or 60.4% of the Group's gross profit. Digital grew 20.9% in France with a particularly strong performance from "Drive to Store" operations (digital coupon issuance, mobile marketing, services for click & collect and online shopping platforms for retailers).
Gross profit for International businesses remained steady like-for-like at €7.05 M, or 39.6% of the Group's gross profit. The uptrend in Belgium continued with 2.4% growth LFL (33.6% of the Group's gross profit). Business in the United Kingdom and Spain was down and represented 6.0% of the Group's gross profit.
MOBILE BUSINESS LAUNCHED IN ITALY
High Connexion, HighCo Group's mobile marketing solutions subsidiary, is developing in Italy with the creation of High Connexion Italia and the purchase of assets from KDEV (3 employees in Como). For further information, go to http://www.highconnexion.it/eng/.
2014 ANNUAL REPORT AND 2015 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
HighCo's 2014 Annual Report was filed with the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (French financial markets authority) on 16 April 2015.The report is the Group's registration document and is available on the Company's website (www.highco.com), under "Finance>Regulated Information>Annual Report".
The Annual General Meeting will be held on 1 June 2015 at the head office in Aix-en-Provence (France). A dividend of €0.15 per share for fiscal year 2014 will be proposed at the meeting, with a payment date of 16 June 2015 (ex-dividend date of 12 June 2015).
About HighCo
Since its creation, HighCo has placed innovation at the heart of its values, offering its clients Intelligent Marketing Solutions to influence shopper behaviour with the right deal, at the right time, at the right place and on the right channel. In 2015, HighCo is proud to celebrate 25 years of innovation in serving brands and retailers.
Operating in 15 countries, HighCo has nearly 900 employees and is listed in compartment C of Euronext Paris and in the Gaia Index, a selection of 70 responsible Small and Mid Caps.
Your contacts
Olivier Michel Cynthia Lerat
Managing Director Press Relations
+33 1 77 75 65 06 +33 1 77 75 65 16
comfi@highco.com c.lerat@highco.com
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Q2 and H1 2015 Gross Profit: 16 July 2015
2015 Half-year Earnings: 26 August 2015
Conference call on 2015 half-year earnings: 27 August 2015
Q3 and 9-month YTD 2015 Gross Profit: 27 October 2015
Q4 2015 Gross Profit: 26 January 2016
HighCo is a component stock of the indices CAC® Small (CACS), CAC® Mid&Small (CACMS) and CAC® All-Tradable (CACT).
ISIN: FR0000054231
Reuters: HIGH.PA
Bloomberg: HCO FP
For further financial information and press releases, go to www.highco.com.
This English translation is for the convenience of English-speaking readers. Consequently, the translation may not be relied upon to sustain any legal claim, nor should it be used as the basis of any legal opinion.
HighCo expressly disclaims all liability for any inaccuracy herein.